Calling all T3i users!!!

Our little girl turned 5 yesterday!

Forgottenalarm wrote in post #14183463

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

best i can do without blowing out the noise from brightening it.

Looks great. I appreciate you taking the time to edit this.

nwbmac wrote in post #14186961
Our little girl turned 5 yesterday!

Great shot! Those eyes look right through you.

Holy squirrel!! Dude did u use the 300 or 500 for this shot? It looks great and u shoul frame it!

bluesydude wrote in post #14189959

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/86767382@N00/7​022811777/
Getting a drink by bluesydude, on Flickr

Sometimes I feel like I don't get perfect focus when I leave my lens on autofocus compared to when I take my time using manual focus. When using autofocus, 99% of the time I only have the center point illuminated so I can be critical of where it's picking up. But when I use manual, I'll select Live view, 10x magnification, and then slowly adjust my focus ring. 4 out of 5 times this method yields me a crisper focus.

My question - is this an inherent trait of the T3i's autofocusing abilities compared to say a 60D or 7D? Or rather is there a technique or other method in use that I could attempt to improve my focus?

No worries - I'm not complaining about my camera. I love the adjustability it provides over my SD990is and only want to keep improving my skills. Thanks!

Unless it is for macro photography, the other points should be accurate. If you reframe afterward then the focal plane would change. Do you have any examples of this focus issue?

MidnightRook wrote in post #14191286
Unless it is for macro photography, the other points should be accurate. If you reframe afterward then the focal plane would change. Do you have any examples of this focus issue?

Here are two shots. The first is with autofocus locking dead center on the bird's neck. The second is with me manual focusing while at 10x magnification in live view. While sometimes it isn't this drastic, the results are still representative of what's happening. I think it locked just past the bird's neck instead of dead on it. And this was with a tripod...so I know I didn't just drift a little when pressing my remote halfway. Let me know if you can see the difference okay on Flickr.

Auto Focus

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Redirected to error image by FLICKR

Quadna71 wrote in post #14191811
Here are two shots. The first is with autofocus locking dead center on the bird's neck. The second is with me manual focusing while at 10x magnification in live view. While sometimes it isn't this drastic, the results are still representative of what's happening. I think it locked just past the bird's neck instead of dead on it. And this was with a tripod...so I know I didn't just drift a little when pressing my remote halfway. Let me know if you can see the difference okay on Flickr.

If you open that pic up in DPP, you can click "View" at the top, then AF points and it will show you exactly what was in focus. I just took a few shots today that did the same thing...AF was dead on, until I got home.

I can't tell you. It kind of sucks to have paid for an AF camera and it not focus right. What focus mode did you use?

If you open the photos with any photo editing program and try to draw an X with the diagonals from each corner, you will find out that the center of the photo (and the center of your AF area) is NOT the bird or its neck, but the round stone behind the bird.

Given the the center AF point is larger than the little rectangle you see in the VF, the AF system picked the area in front of the stone (the back of the bird which has more contrast) to AF.

...and that's what you get in the photos...

MakisM1 wrote in post #14192356
If you open the photos with any photo editing program and try to draw an X with the diagonals from each corner, you will find out that the center of the photo (and the center of your AF area) is NOT the bird or its neck, but the round stone behind the bird.

Given the the center AF point is larger than the little rectangle you see in the VF, the AF system picked the area in front of the stone (the back of the bird which has more contrast) to AF.

...and that's what you get in the photos...

I understand what you're say but the center wasn't the starting point. I focused then recomposed - plus there is a slight crop for the clarity (or lack thereof).

If you focus and recompose the focal plane changes. You have to focus and take the photo without moving. The focal plane is parallel to your sensor, so tilting your camera to recompose will change whatever is on the new focal plane to be in focus.

WetLight wrote in post #14190273
Holy squirrel!! Dude did u use the 300 or 500 for this shot? It looks great and u shoul frame it!

Thanks I'm glad you liked the shot. I really dig the reflection. I used the 500 on this. Love that lens!